Avatar the first Airbender
Chapter 21
The will to fight
Shinji stood in front of Asuka's door steeling him-self for the confrontation ahead.
"A wall has sprung up between us, and I don't know how to bend it" He thought.
"Misato wants to work through her issues on her own, and I'll respect that, but I need to drag Asuka out of her depression" He thought. Standing in front of her door he took a deep breath, steeled himself and threw the door open.
"Alright Asuka, I don't know what your moping about but It's time to get over it and get back to work he said flipping on her light to find her laying face down on her pillow.
"Go away" She mumbled in her pillow.
"Not until you tell me what your problem is" Shinji said. When she didn't answer he sighed and hoping the floor could handle it, stepped down on the floor. The shockwave traveled through the floor, hit Asuka's bed, and shot her toward the ceiling with a yell, over her bed to land her sprawled on the floor.
"Good, your awake, let's get started" He said when he stood up, murder in her eyes.
"You want to hit, me go ahead, but let's move to the balcony so you don't burn the apartment down Shinji said, and turning walked out of the girls room, a smile forming when he followed her. They came to the balcony, and as they stepped out he felt her take her stance and throw a blast of fire. He nimbly stepped out of the way as she continued her barrage.
"Hold still!" She shouted as she continued her attack. Shinji wove in and out of the attacks making sure they sailed harmlessly into the open air. After about an hour she wore herself out.
"If she ever learns the discipline she needs she could be a more powerful pure fire bender than me" He thought half proud half frightened.
"Now that you've gotten that out of your system, I'm sorry for what happened with the fourteenth angel" He said and she wrapped him in a bear hug.
"I thought you abandoned me" She whispered.
"I promised you I wouldn't" He said holding her.
"I guess I should apologize for being so mean" Asuka said.
"Then lets forgive and forget" Shinji said and winked, causing Asuka to giggle. Later that night the atmosphere was relatively peaceful as they ate.
"I'm finished Asuka said and handed her dishes to Shinji to wash as the phone rang. Shinji picked it up
"Hello?" Shinji asked
"Is Asuka there?" A female voice asks in heavily accented Japanese.
"Asuka it's for you" Shinji said and tossed her the handset.
"Hallo?" Asuka asked in German, and laughed as she switched into German with Shinji listening in. after five minutes of talking Asuka hung up and sighed.
"Who was that?" Shinji asked.
"My step-mother" Asuka said.
"You sounded happy to talk to her" Shinji asked.
"Not really, it's more of a random communication" Asuka said.
"Do you hate her?" Shinji asked
"No, but she's not my real mother" Asuka said.
"No one can replace them" Shinji said reminding Asuka that she wasn't the only one who lost a mother.
"Well, at least you have some family to talk to" Shinji said smiling.
"Huh, I guess your right" Asuka said smiling.
A day later Asuka and Shinji were at the lake where they usually practiced with Rei and Toji, who had just gotten out of the hospital. Thanks to Shinji had hardly gotten a scratch, but they had kept him for weeks of testing to make sure he had not been contaminated by the angel. Kensuke was there with his camera and surprisingly Hikari, who Asuka had said stuck with Toji like glue ever since he had gotten out of the hospital
"It's nice for us all to be here again" Shinji said.
"Tell me about it, I was going nuts in that hole they stuck me in" Toji said.
"Hey, before we start, I just want to thank you three. I heard about what you did to rescue me" Toji said blushing and rubbing the back of his head.
"You are welcome" Rei said smiling.
"An incompetent ape like you should have never been a pilot in the first place" Asuka said causing the boy to growl.
"Despite what Asuka said, what she really means is that you're our friend" Shinji said.
"Now today, I would like to work with each of you individually" Shinji said
"Why" Rei asked.
"There are sub skills of each art that only certain benders have a talent for, and I would like to test each of you to see if you can use them" Shinji explained.
"Toji your first, please take off your shoes" Shinji said. The boy stood up and removed his sneakers.
"The first step is to be able to replace your sight with Earthbending" Shinji said and tied a blind fold around the boys eyes.
"Now feel the vibration's through the ground. Use them to see your opponents" Shinji explained.
"I'll try" Toji said.
"Rei will you spar with him" Shinji asked. Rei stood up and stood in front of the boy. Taking a waterbending stance she formed a tendril and shot it at Toji. Firmly rooted to the ground his senses expanded through his earth bending and when Rei placed her feet in her stance, it was like he could see a second ahead and he know how she was going to attack. Just as Rei was halfway through her form, Toji sent a shockwave through the ground knocking the blue haired girl off her feet, leaving Asuka gaping and Rei surprised.
"I did it, I'm the man!" Toji said flexing.
"Don't get cocky" Shinji said tying the blind fold back on.
"Now you'll fight me" Shinji said and Toji took his stance confidently. Smirking Shinji leapt up, leaving Toji to stare around him. Shinji landed light as a feather and Toji struck but Shinji was already gone. He played the trick for five minutes, landing so softly that Toji couldn't track him.
"Alright, I get it, I'm vulnerable to air attack" He said ripping off the headband a second time.
"You're smarter than you look" Asuka said and Toji glared at her.
"Put it back on" Shinji said, and Toji sighed and tied it back on. Going to a pack he had brought with him, he took out a piece of scrap and handed it to Toji.
"What's this?" Toji asked.
"The last part of your lesson" Shinji said
"What am I supposed to do with it?" Toji asked
"Bend it" Shinji said. Toji was about to say that what impossible, when he remembered seeing the avatar do it himself.
"Aren't you going to tell me how?" Toji asked instead.
"You need to figure it out yourself while I work with Rei" he said and turned away.
"What are you going to teach me?" Rei asked.
"How to heal" Shinji said and Rei looked surprised.
"It's not that hard" Shinji said and led Rei to the side of the lake.
"Asuka, while don't you run through some forms while Rei and I work" Shinji said. Asuka huffed but stood up and walking a safe distance began to run through fire bending forms.
"Alright Rei, let's begin" Shinji said and using earth bending made a dumbly like the one his healing teacher used. The lines and impressions on this dummy are the chi lines in the human body" He explained and taking water from the lake bended it through the lines.
"By bending water through these pathways you can accelerate the healing processes" Shinji said.
"Now you try" Shinji said and Rei repeated what he did.
"Of course working with this dummy is one thing, working on a person is another" Shinji said.
"Hey, I did it!" Toji said and they all looked to find the piece of scrap crumpled into a ball.
"How did you do it?" Shinji asked.
"I was trying to bend it with regular earth bending but it wasn't working and then I thought (Asuka snickered) that metal is earth melted down. So I felt for the little shards of earth still in the metal and once I found them" He said and shaped the metal into a sharp spear.
"Good" Shinji said.
"Alright Asuka, your turn" Shinji said.
"About time" She said.
"Sorry, but I wanted to save your for last because what I'm about to show you is one of the most dangerous and destructive of bending attacks" Shinji explained getting everyone's attention.
"If it's that dangerous should you really be teaching it?" Hikari asked earning a glare form Asuka.
"It's dangerous, but I decided when I began your training that I would teach you every technique I knew except one" Shinji said.
"And what's this one technique?" Asuka asked curious
"Later, one dangerous technique at a time" Shinji said and taking a deep breath to center himself he made a slow circular motion and sparks danced off his fingertips. He pointed into the air and a bolt of electricity shot into the sky.
"Did you just do what I thought you did?" Kensuke asked looking stunned.
"If you mean did I just shoot lightning out of my hands yes I did" he said.
"That was awesome" Kensuke said.
"You're going to teach Soryu that?" Toji demanded.
"Don't worry, it's not as easy as it looks" Shinji said.
"Yeah right, how hard could it be?" Asuka asked.
"Try it for yourself" Shinji said and stood back. Asuka stepped forward and slowly went through the motions gathering her energy. She pointed to the sky, and an explosion threw her back.
"Are you okay?" Shinji asked not expecting such a violent reaction.
"What happened?" Asuka demanded.
"Lightning is called the cold blooded fire. To use it you have to have absence of emotion and peace of mind" Shinji explained.
"No wonder it blew up in your face" Toji ribbed, making Asuka fumed.
"Let me try it again" Asuka said getting up but Shinji put a hand on her shoulder.
"We have to get to NERV. Our synch tests are in an hour, and I promise when we get home I'll work with you until we get it right" He told her.
"All right" Asuka said. The group disbanded and Shinji, Asuka, and Rei walked to the train station to wait for the car to NERV to take them for their sync tests.
"Interesting, Asuka's scores were dropping but ever since Shinji returned they've been climbing again back to Shinji's level" Maya said.
"It's not good for her synch ration to be so tied to one person" Ritsuko said.
"I don't see what the problem is" Misato said.
"If the third child were to be killed or somehow removed, Asuka's synch ration would drop. Ritsuko explained.
"We can't help what happens in battle, but I don't see Shinji being removed as Unit 01s pilot. He's the only one it allows to pilot it after all" She said.
"Asuka good job, you and Shinji are just about even" Misato said.
"And I won't be long until I've surpassed the great third child" She said.
"As long as you don't hit 400%" Shinji said grinning when the alarms rang.
"An angel has been detected in low earth orbit" Hyuga stated.
"There's no way to fight it hand to hand then" Misato said.
"We'll send Rei up with the positron rifle as a sniper. Asuka will be back up" Misato said.
"No way, I'm not ones backup" Asuka said. While they were arguing, Shinji had found himself in unite 01 frozen.
"Father why stick me in here if Unit 01s frozen" he thought and using water bending unfroze the unit and climbing out walked toward a catapult.
"Unit 01 has removed itself from chryo frees and is heading toward the catapult" Maya stated.
"Shinji what are you doing?" Misato demanded
"I'm not sitting around on ice while you send Misato and Rei into danger" Shinji said.
"That is not your decision to make" Gendo said
"Really, I can rip my way out of the base if I want" Shinji said.
"Increase the pressure to Unite 01s plug, the third child is scrubbed from this mission" Gendo ordered the order was carried out unsuccessfully.
"The order won't go through" Maya said
"Unit 01 won't listen to anyone but me"
"We cannot allow Unite 01 to come into contact with the angel" He said as Unite one put itself into the cradle.
"You can either help me or get out of the way" Shinji said and launched.
"Shinji wait!" Misato shouted as Asuka, then Rei launched.
"Has your brain stopped working?" Asuka asked as Shinji took position behind the sniper rifle.
"I'm through being my father's puppet" Shinji said.
"Be that as it may, your father knows much more than you. As much as you distrust him, he know what he's doing" Rei said, and she was as angry as Shinji had ever seen her.
"I'll own up to my mistakes, but if I do screw up it's because you and my father love your stupid secrets so much" Shinji said, the comm. Still open. He immediately regretted his words toward Rei as a hurt look settled over her, but he promised he'd apologize once the mission was over.
"Gendo, we can't allow this, if Unit 01 is contaminated at this point" Fuyutsuki said.
"I know sensed, but the boy has removed Unit 01 from our control, I'm open to ideas" Gendo said.
"Alright let's get this over…" Shinji said when a beautiful white light emerged through the clouds and enveloped unit 01.
"Shinji!" Misato shouted
"A.T. field detected, Unite 01 is being invaded contamination immanent" Hyuga said. Inside Unit 01 Shinji was blinded by the light before he felt a consciousness knock at his mental doors. Note knowing what else to do he opened up.
"Unit 01 has gone silent pilots psychograph is normal but vitals are dropping and were reading deep mental invasion!" Maya shouted
"This isn't possible" Ritsuko said
"What's happening?" Gendo Demanded.
"These readings indicate that Shinji has dropped into some sort of deep meditation" Ritsuko said
"What does that mean?" Misato demanded
"It means that Shinji might be trying to communicate with it" Ritsuko said when Unite 02 who had been standing at a safe distance leapt forward.
"Asuka!" Misato shouted as the Unite dove into the light. Shinji found himself standing in a field of pure light, feeling as if his physical form was fading in and out.
"Where am I" Shinji asked.
"My place" A voice said and Shinji felt his memories being ruffled through.
"What are you looking for?" Shinji asked and a wave of curiosity flooded through the space as a memory materialized like a movie picture. It was of him and his teachers while they were traveling through the earth kingdom.
"Not here" The voice said.
"Yes this isn't our world" Shinji said and felt a wave of confusion
"Where?" the voice asked
"I don't know" Shinji said sending images of the spirit pool.
"Where do you come from?" Shinji asked sending images of where he had come from and where he lived now, but received only confusion. Then a spike of curiosity and he felt the mind shifting off him.
"Where are you going?" Shinji asked and received the sensation of strength a fragility, of blazing heat and gentle warmth and his blood ran cold
"Asuka" he shouted with his voice as well as his mind. Asuka had dived into the light to get to unit 01. As soon as she did Asuka felt the assault on her own mind and unlike Shinji had no intention of letting the creature in. That was her first mistake as her shields drew the full curiosity of the angel who took its attention off of Shinji and focused it on to her.
"No Stay out!" She shouted as is knocked, and when she didn't open threw its vast will at her.
"No" She shouted in pain as is hit her again.
"Asuka get out of there!" Misato shouted.
"No!" Asuka shouted. She refused to Shinji, not this time. She screamed again as the angel blasted her again and broke through and reached into her mind into her darkest memories.
"No I don't want to remember these things" Asuka screamed. Rei listened to her friends screams, and though she wouldn't admit it even to herself, the loud red head, along with Shinji and Suzuhara had become her friends, connected through there bending. So while a few months ago she would have asked for orders, now she thought for herself and letting her heart guide her followed Soryu into the light.
"Rei!" Gendo shouted. Shinji found himself walking in the hall of a hospital not unlike NERV central. Coming to a viewing window he saw a five year old red head looking through the window.
"Asuka?" He asked and she turned and looked at him.
"Who are you?" the Child asked.
"I'm a friend" Shinji said and looked through the window to see a pretty woman who looked a lot like Asuka with shorter hair cradling a doll.
"It's okay dear" He heard the woman say.
"Is that you mother?" Shinji asked.
"She thinks that doll is me" little Asuka said.
"Asuka you had better eat your food, or that girl over there will laugh at you" The women said and a knife lanced into his heart but what was reviled next was worse. As the memory shifted he found himself standing in front of a door. Turning he opened it to find a woman swinging from the ceiling.
"Mommy Mommy look at me. They chose me to be the pilot" Little Asuka said as she came running up. Shinji shut the door and knelt in front of little Asuka.
"Your mother is sleeping right now and the doctors don't want her to be disturbed" Shinji said.
"Who are you?" The girl asked suspiciously.
"Your father sent me to watch over you" He said and picked the little girl up.
"Your mommy should wake up in a few hours, so why don't we get to some ice cream and wait" Shinji said.
"Okay" Little Asuka said putting her head on his shoulder. Shinji walked away from the door as the memory shifted into darkness as he felt a surge of anger from what he now knew was the angel.
"What are you angry about? You're the one dragging these memories up for your own sick curiosity!" He shouted at it. The memory shifted and he found himself standing in a graveyard in the rain. Again he saw little Asuka standing in front of an old woman weeping.
"It's all right Asuka, you can cry" the woman wept.
"It's alright grandma. I won't cry I have to take care of myself from now on" Little Asuka said.
"You're too young to need to take care of yourself Asuka" Shinji said kneeling down to her.
"You're the one who lied to me and said my mother was sleeping" She said angrily
"I want to protect you; I would like to help you if you let me?" He said.
"How?" Little Asuka said and faded away as another flash of anger rumbled around him.
"You can keep doing this but I'll soften your blows every time" He shouted and he felt the full attention and force bear down on him and felt himself shove into a memory. Asuka felt violated as the angel reached right into her mind and dung up her deepest darkest memories. She found herself five years old standing in front of the hospital viewing window of her mother's room.
"I don't want to remember this" Asuka thought as she watched her mother treat that damn doll as her.
"Asuka?" A familiar voice asked and turning she saw a fifteen year old Shinji walk toward her. Both her and her five year old self looked at him in confusion.
"Who are you" She asked.
"I'm a friend" He said and stood next to her. Even at five she could fell his warmth.
"Is that your mother?" He asked.
"She thinks that doll is me" She said and the memory vanished and she found herself running toward a closed hospital door.
"No, anything but this!" Asuka cried when she stopped in front of Shinji who kneeled in front of her.
"Your mother is sleeping right now and the doctors don't want her to be disturbed" He said smiling at her and Asuka felt warmth spreading through her.
"who are you?" Little Asuka asked.
"You're father sent me to watch over you" He said and picked little Asuka up.
""Your mommy should wake up in a few hours, so why don't we get to some ice cream and wait" Shinji said.
"Okay" Little Asuka said and the warmth increased.
The memory shifted again and she found herself at her mother's funeral.
"It's okay Asuka, you can cry" Her grandmother wept.
"But I promised never to cry again" she said.
"It's alright grandma, I won't cry. I have to take care of myself from now on" Little Asuka said. "You're too young to need to take care of yourself Asuka" Shinji said kneeling down to her.
"You're the one who lied to me and said my mother was sleeping" She said angrily
"I want to protect you" Shinji said
"He was always trying to protect me, to protect everyone" Asuka thought.
"I would like to help you if you let me?" He said.
"Yes, Yes, I want your help!" Asuka shouted.
"How?" Little Asuka asked as the memory faded
"You, even here" she thought as the last of the barriers of her heart fell and her love for the boy flowed through her. Now it was Asuka's turn to find herself in someone else's memory. She was in what looked like NERV HQ in the Eva bay.
"Pilot Soryu?" A quiet voice asked and turning Asuka found herself looking at Rei.
"Wonder girl? Where's Shinji?" Asuka asked.
"Who let this child in here, this isn't a day care center" A voice said. The girls looked and saw a much younger looking Fuyutsuki staring down at a toddler.
"Shinji" Rei said looking at the young happy looking boy.
"I'm sorry professor, I brought Shinji here. I wanted him to see the bright future we're working for" A woman said and when she stepped into view, Asuka looked from her to Rei and back again. Except for the hair, the eyes, and a five year age difference they could be twins.
"Still Yui, this is a big day for you" Fuyutsuki said.
"It's a big day for all of us sensei" Yui Ikari said and Asuka noticed that she was wearing a plug suit. They watched from an observation window as Yui waved to little Shinji as she stepped into the entry plug. The plug was loaded and after a minute alarms blared and people shouted and ran around as little Shinji tried not to get trampled. The memory jumped to little Shinji standing at a train station, suitcase in hand and tears in his eyes as Gendo spoke to him.
"You will be well cared for as long as you do not make too much trouble" Gendo said and walked away. The memory faded to be replaced by a field of light. Shinji was sitting on the "floor" rubbing his eyes and looking shaken.
"Shinji?" Rei asked and looking up he looked shocked as he stood
"What are you two doing here?" He asked.
"We're here to save you idiot" Asuka said when the presence of the angel invaded their minds.
"Not again!" Asuka shouted.
"No, not again!" Shinji said, and his voice reverberated as his eyes and body glowed with blue light.
"I'm the avatar, the guardian of this world, and I cannot let you and your brothers defeat me" He shouted into the void of the angel's conscience and his presence, his compassion and innocence, and wisdom, his playfulness and humanity shone like a sun. Outside unit 01s eyes glowed and the light reversed and flooded back to the angel, a column of light seen piercing off into the universe.
"Contamination is reversing; the pilot's vitals and mental activity are jumping off the charts!" Hyuga shouted. Both within and without the angel felt the avatars power, the power of the very earth and overwhelmed, unable to processes the avatars soul it collapsed in on itself, imploding and vanishing with a howl of despair.
"The angel is gone" Hyuga said.
"Retrieve all the Units" Gendo said. Shinji came too to the familiar ceiling of the hospital.
"So you're finally awake" Asuka said from next to him. He turned and looked at her and saw something different about her, something he couldn't quit place.
"Asuka are you all right?" Shinji asked.
"Never better" she said smiling.
"I am all right as well" Rei said leaning past Asuka from the third bed down.
"Sorry Rei I didn't see you there" Shinji said and laid back down feeling tired.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Just tired" he said.
Another Chapter. We're coming to the end and I promise it will be good.